Method and mobile transceiver for asset tracking

ABSTRACT

A method and mobile transceiver for asset tracking is provided. In one aspect, a method of operating a mobile transceiver comprising a processor, a memory, a satellite receiver, and at least one wireless transceiver is provided. The method comprises: determining whether the mobile transceiver is in a battery powered mode; activating the wireless transceiver from a low power mode; searching, via the wireless transceiver, for wireless services supported by the wireless transceiver; when more than one wireless service is available and the mobile transceiver is in a battery powered mode, selecting a most power efficient wireless service in accordance with a basic power profile of the available wireless services; when only one wireless service is available, selecting the available wireless service; and sending at least a portion of the data log to an asset tracking service using the selected wireless service.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to mobile transceivers, andmore specifically, to a method and mobile transceiver for assettracking.

BACKGROUND

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) tracking devices, such asGlobal positioning system (GPS) tracking devices, are devices carried byobjects or persons (“carriers”) which measure the location of thecarrier using the GNSS at regular intervals and typically store thelocation in internal memory. Examples of types of GNSS tracking devicesinclude: a data logger, a data pusher and a data puller. A data loggermay store the measured location data in internal memory for subsequentdownload and analysis. A data pusher (also known as a beacon) may sendlocation data stored in internal memory to a server or other device inaccordance with predefined parameters. A data puller (also known as atransponder) may store location data in internal memory and provides thelocation data in response to queries from a server or other device. GNSStracking devices may have limited power and/or limited processingresources. Accordingly, methods of efficiently operating and deployingGNSS tracking devices may be desirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a communication system suitablefor operating a mobile transceiver in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile transceiver inaccordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communicationsubsystem in accordance with an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example embodiment of a method ofoperating a mobile transceiver in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure is made with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which embodiments are shown. However, many differentembodiments may be used, and thus the description should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and primenotation is used to indicate similar elements, operations or steps inalternative embodiments. Separate boxes or illustrated separation offunctional elements of illustrated systems and devices does notnecessarily require physical separation of such functions, ascommunication between such elements can occur by way of messaging,function calls, shared memory space, and so on, without any suchphysical separation. As such, functions need not be implemented inphysically or logically separated platforms, although they areillustrated separately for ease of explanation herein. Different devicescan have different designs, such that while some devices implement somefunctions in fixed function hardware, other devices can implement suchfunctions in a programmable processor with code obtained from a machinereadable medium.

The present disclosure provides a mobile transceiver that may allowglobal and long-range tracking applications in which an asset in globaland long-range transit can be tracked even though it crosses wirelesscarrier and network coverage boundaries while in transit. In global andlong-range tracking applications the mobile transceiver and the assetbeing tracked may cross wireless carrier and network coverage boundarieswhile in transit. For example, it is not uncommon for a shippingcontainer to originate in mainland China and travel around South Africawith a final destination in North America. The mobile transceiver of thepresent disclosure includes one or more wireless transceivers which mayallow the mobile transceiver to communicate using one of a number ofwireless services, such as 4G LTE, 3G, 2G, WLAN/Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth,etc. to account for the various wireless services that may be availableat any time while in transit.

The present disclosure also provides methods of operating the mobiletransceiver (e.g., tracking device) for global and long-range trackingthat is power efficient and that extends the expected life of thebattery of the mobile transceiver. When the mobile transceiver wakes upafter a period of inactivity, the wireless service that was last used toreport location may no longer be available. Additionally, if crossingcontinental boundaries and international borders, the wireless accesstechnology and RF bands typically do not overlap. The present disclosureprovides methods of operating a mobile transceiver which, among otherthings, select a wireless service for communicating logged data to anasset tracking service using minimal power, thereby extending theexpected life of the battery of the mobile transceiver. This isparticularly advantageous when the mobile transceiver is provided with anon-rechargeable battery.

In accordance with an example embodiment of one aspect of the presentdisclosure, there is provided a method of operating a mobiletransceiver, the mobile transceiver comprising a processor, a memory, asatellite receiver, and at least one wireless transceiver, the methodcomprising: determining whether the mobile transceiver is in a batterypowered mode; activating the wireless transceiver from a low power mode;searching, via the wireless transceiver, for wireless services supportedby the wireless transceiver; when more than one wireless service isavailable and the mobile transceiver is in a battery powered mode,selecting a most power efficient wireless service in accordance with abasic power profile of the available wireless services; when only onewireless service is available, selecting the available wireless service;and sending at least a portion of the data log to an asset trackingservice using the selected wireless service.

In accordance with another example embodiment of one aspect of thepresent disclosure, there is provided a method of operating a mobiletransceiver, the mobile transceiver comprising a processor, a memory, asatellite receiver, and at least one wireless transceiver, the methodcomprising: activating the wireless transceiver from a low power mode;searching, via the wireless transceiver, for wireless services supportedby the wireless transceiver; when more than one wireless service isavailable and the mobile transceiver is battery powered, selecting amost power efficient wireless service in accordance with a basic powerprofile of the available wireless services; when one wireless service isavailable, selecting the available wireless service; and sending atleast a portion of the data log to an asset tracking service using theselected wireless service.

In accordance with an example embodiment of another aspect of thepresent disclosure, there is provided a mobile transceiver, comprising:a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; a satellite receivercoupled to the processor; and a wireless transceiver coupled to theprocessor; wherein the mobile transceiver is configured for performingthe methods described herein.

In accordance with an example embodiment of a further aspect of thepresent disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory machine readablemedium having tangibly stored thereon executable instructions that, whenexecuted by a processor of a mobile transceiver, the mobile transceivercomprising a processor, a memory, a satellite receiver, and at least onewireless transceiver, cause the mobile transceiver to perform themethods described herein.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an example embodiment of a mobiletransceiver 102 of the present disclosure will be described. The mobiletransceiver 102 comprises at least one processor 104 which controls theoverall operation of the mobile transceiver 102. The processor 104 iscoupled to a plurality of components via a communication bus (not shown)which provides a communication path between the components and theprocessor 104. The mobile transceiver 102 also comprises a Random AccessMemory (RAM) 108, Read Only Memory (ROM) 110, a persistent(non-volatile) memory 112 which may be flash erasable programmable readonly memory (EPROM) (“flash memory”) or other suitable form of memory, adata port 122 such as a serial data port (e.g., Universal Serial Bus(USB) data port), and a plurality of environmental sensors 130 forsensing the environment of the mobile transceiver 102. The sensors 130may comprise a light sensor 131, temperature sensor 132, pressure sensor133, humidity sensor 134, gyroscope 135, accelerometer 136, one or moretime-of-flight (ToF) sensors 137 and possibly other sensors such as adoor contact switch (not shown).

The mobile transceiver 102 also comprises a satellite receiver 120 forreceiving satellite signals from a satellite network 180 that comprisesa plurality of satellites which are part of a global or regionalsatellite navigation system. In some embodiments, a satellitetransceiver capable of both receiving and sending satellite signals maybe provided instead of a satellite receiver which can only receivesatellite signals.

The mobile transceiver 102 can use signals received by the satellitereceiver 120 from a plurality of satellites in the satellite network 180to determine its position. In at least some embodiments, the satellitenetwork 180 comprises a plurality of satellites which are part of atleast one Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that providesautonomous geo-spatial positioning with global coverage. For example,the satellite network 180 may be a constellation of GNSS satellites.Example GNSSs include the United States NAVSTAR Global PositioningSystem (GPS) or the Russian GLObal NAvigation Satellite System(GLONASS). Other satellite navigation systems which have been deployedor which are in development include the European Union's Galileopositioning system, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS),the Indian regional satellite navigation system, and the Japanesesatellite navigation system.

The mobile transceiver 102 also comprises one or more wirelesstransceivers for exchanging at least data communication. The wirelesstransceivers comprises at least a cellular (RF) transceiver 114 forcommunicating with a plurality of different radio access networks (RAN)such as a cellular network 160 using different wireless datacommunication protocols and standards. The mobile transceiver 102 maycommunicate with any one of a plurality of fixed transceiver basestations (one of which is shown in FIG. 1) of the cellular network 160within its geographic coverage area. The mobile transceiver 102 may sendand receive signals over the cellular network 160 after the requirednetwork registration and/or activation procedures have been completed.In the described embodiment, the cellular transceiver 114 is amulti-band transceiver that supports multiple radio frequency bandswhich may include, for example, multiple 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) orLTE Advanced bands as well as global 3G and 2G bands such as, forexample, a TOBY-L2 series wireless transceiver from u-blox Holding AG ofSwitzerland. In other embodiments, multiple dedicated transceivers maybe provided to support different wireless services, such as 4G LTE, 3Gand 2G wireless services.

Examples of technologies that can be used by the cellular transceiver114 include LTE, LTE Advanced, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS),Mobitex™, and Data TACT™. Other example technologies that can be used bythe cellular transceiver 114 include Advanced Mobile Phone System(AMPS), time division multiple access (TDMA), Code Division MultipleAccess (CDMA), Wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), PersonalCommunication Service (PCS), GSM (Global System for MobileCommunication), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), integrated DigitalEnhanced Network (iDEN), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSPDA),Evolution-Data Optimized (EvDO), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution(EDGE), etc. Other types of communication networks, both separate andintegrated, may also be utilized with the mobile transceiver 102. Themobile transceiver 102 may also be compliant with other communicationstandards such as 3GSM, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP),Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), 4G, etc. Theabove-noted technologies are used by example and are not exhaustive. Thedescribed embodiments do not depend on any particular characteristics orcapabilities of the RAN.

The wireless transceivers may also comprise a wireless local areanetwork (WLAN) transceiver 116 for communicating with a WLAN 150 via aWLAN access point (AP). The WLAN 150 may comprise a Wi-Fi wirelessnetwork which conforms to IEEE 802.11x standards (sometimes referred toas Wi-Fi®). Other communication protocols may be used for the WLAN 104in other embodiments.

The wireless transceivers may also comprise a short-range wirelesstransceiver, such as a Bluetooth® transceiver 118, for communicatingwith a computer 240. The mobile transceiver 102 may alternativelycommunicate with the computer 240 using a physical link such as the dataport 122 (e.g., USB port). The Bluetooth transceiver 118 could becompatible with any suitable version of the Bluetooth protocol includingBluetooth low energy (Bluetooth Smart). Other short-range wirelesscommunication technologies may be provided instead of, or in additionto, Bluetooth® including but not limited to Near field communication(NFC), IEEE 802.15.3a (also referred to as UltraWideband (UWB)), Z-Wave,ZigBee, ANT/ANT+ or infrared (e.g., Infrared Data Association (IrDA)communication).

Data received by the mobile transceiver 102 may be decompressed anddecrypted by a decoder (not shown). The communication subsystem of themobile transceiver 102 also includes one or more antennas, a processorsuch as a digital signal processor (DSP), and local oscillators (LOs).The specific design and implementation of the communication subsystem isdependent upon the wireless communication technologies implemented bythe mobile transceiver 102.

Network access requirements vary depending upon the type of cellularnetwork 160. In the described embodiment, the mobile transceiver 102includes a smart card interface 140 for receiving a smart card 142 forstoring and reading data by the processor 104. The smart card 142 may bea Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card for use in a GSM network orother type of smart card for use in the relevant wireless network typewhich provides wireless network access. In at least some embodiments,the smart card 142 is a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC)containing at least a SIM and a USIM application. UICC is the smart cardused in most contemporary GSM and UMTS networks. While a SIM card for aGSM network has been described as an example, the term smart card isintended to encompass all types of smart cards and other similartechnology for providing a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM),Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM) or CDMA Subscriber IdentityModule (CSIM) or other similar technology used in UMTS and CDMAnetworks.

The mobile transceiver 102 also includes a battery 146 as a powersource. The battery 146 may be a rechargeable or non-rechargeablebattery. The battery 146 provides electrical power to at least some ofthe components of the mobile transceiver 102. A battery interface 144provides a mechanical and electrical connection for the battery 146. Thebattery interface 144 may be coupled to a regulator (not shown) whichprovides power V+ to the circuitry of the mobile transceiver 102. Insome embodiments, the battery 146 is a large-capacity, non-rechargeable,sealed battery which is expected to have a relatively long service life,such as 5-7 years of active service.

The mobile transceiver 102 may also include a power interface, such as apower port, for connecting to an external power source 152 such as analternating current (AC) power adapter. The mobile transceiver 102 canuse the external power source 152 rather than the battery 146. If thebattery 146 is rechargeable, the external power source 152 may be usedto recharge the battery 146.

Referring again to FIG. 1, an example communication system 100 in whicha mobile transceiver 102 of the present disclosure can operate will bedescribed. The mobile transceiver 102 typically uses the cellularnetwork 160 to access an asset tracking service (e.g., a server or fleetmanagement system) 200. The asset tracking service 200 may beimplemented as one or more server modules and is typically locatedbehind a firewall 210. The asset tracking service 200 providesadministrative control and management capabilities over a plurality ofmanaged mobile transceivers 102. The asset tracking service 200 may beembodied as a variety of configurations, in hardware or software,including a server-based system, an Application Programming Interface(API) and/or endpoint that provides access and abstraction of thefunctionality of asset tracking service 200 such that no hardware orconfiguration information is necessary to access the functionality otherthan the API location and functional definitions.

The asset tracking service 200 provides secure transmission of dataexchanged between the asset tracking service 200 and the plurality ofmanaged mobile transceivers 102. Communication between the assettracking service 200 and the mobile transceivers 102 may be encrypted,for example, using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) or Triple DataEncryption Standard (Triple DES) encryption.

The mobile transceiver 102 use signals received by the satellitereceiver 120 from a plurality of satellites in the satellite network 180to determine its position. For example, the mobile transceiver 102 mayuse the satellite receiver 120 to determine is location at regularintervals, in accordance with a predefined schedule, or in response to atrigger event, among other possibilities. The frequency or schedule atwhich the location is determined may be fixed or configurable. Themobile transceiver 102 stores the determined location, typically interms of Latitude and Longitude, and a time at which the location wasdetermined in a data log stored in the memory 112 of the mobiletransceiver 102. Thus, the data log provides an asset tracking log.

The mobile transceiver 102 may also use one or more of the sensors 130to sense or measure an environment of the mobile transceiver 102. Forexample, the sensors 130 may be used to measure temperature, pressureand humidity, as well as door open or movement events, among otherparameters. The sensor data obtained via the sensors 130 and a time atwhich the sensor data was obtained are also stored in the data log(i.e., the asset tracking log), which is stored in the memory 112. Aswith the location data, the mobile transceiver 102 may collect sensordata at regular intervals, in accordance with a predefined schedule, orin response to a trigger event, among other possibilities. The frequencyor schedule at which sensor data is obtained may be fixed orconfigurable.

The mobile transceiver 102 attempts to connect to the asset trackingservice 200 to report location and/or sensor data stored in the assettracking log at regular intervals, in accordance with a predefinedschedule, or in response to a trigger event, among other possibilities.The frequency or schedule at which the mobile transceiver 102 attemptsto connect to the asset tracking service 200 may be fixed orconfigurable. The mobile transceiver 102 typically attempts to connectto the asset tracking service 200 using a wireless transceiver such asthe cellular transceiver 114. The mobile transceiver 102 has access tomultiple wireless services via multiple wireless transceivers, each ofwhich provides access to one or more wireless services. In the describedembodiment, the multiple wireless transceivers comprise the cellulartransceiver 114, WLAN transceiver 116, and Bluetooth transceiver 118.The wireless transceivers may include multiple cellular transceivers 114in some embodiments, which may be multi-band cellular transceivers 114.The mobile transceiver 102 could also attempt to connect to the assettracking service 200 using a physical link, either directly orindirectly via the computer 240. Each wireless service supported by themobile transceiver 102 may be defined by a standard or specification.Non-limiting examples of wireless services are described elsewhere inthe present disclosure and include 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE), 3G and2G, WLAN and Bluetooth.

When the mobile transceiver 102 connects to the cellular network 160,WLAN 150, or computer 240 via Bluetooth and/or USB, the mobiletransceiver 102 can send the data log or a portion of the data log(i.e., an unreported portion of the data log) to the asset trackingservice 200 through the firewall 210 using a communication network 230.The data log information may be sent using any suitable message formatincluding, for example, a proprietary message format. The mobiletransceiver 102 data log typically includes an indicator regarding whichdata in the data log has been reported and which data in the data log isunreported. For example, in some embodiments, the data log comprises aseries of records including and identified by a record identifier (ID).Each record also includes a time at which the record was made, locationdata and/or sensor data, and a report status indicating whether therecord has been reported to the asset tracking service 200. After anunreported record is reported to the asset tracking service 200, itscorresponding report status field in the data log is updated.

The mobile transceiver 102 powers-down certain device components whennot in use to conserve battery power. For example, the mobiletransceiver 102 initiates a low power mode for the cellular transceiver114 after a reporting time/cycle. The low power mode may be an off mode(also known as an off state) in which the cellular transceiver 114 isunpowered or a sleep mode (also known as a standby mode or suspendedoperation mode) with low power consumption. The cellular transceiver 114is then activated from the low power mode at the next reportingtime/cycle. Any other wireless transceivers are similarly placed into alow power mode after a reporting time/cycle. The satellite receiver 120and sensors 130 may also be placed into a low power mode when notobtaining location or sensor data, and then activated from the low powermode at the next measurement time/cycle.

The data logging and data reporting cycles are typically different andneed not coincide, although the cycles typically overlap to varyingdegrees. For example, each reporting cycle typically involves reportingseveral records of the data log each including location data and/orsensor data. The cycles may overlap in that location data and/or sensordata may be captured as part of a common process at some times or may becaptured as part of a separate process performed just prior to reportinglogged data to the asset tracking service 200. For example, a wirelesstransceiver may be awakened for reporting at the same time, or justafter, the satellite receiver 120 and/or sensors 130 are awaken andlocation data and/or sensor data is captured.

The communication system 100 is provided for the purpose of illustrationonly. The communication system 100 is but one possible configuration ofa multitude of possible communication network configurations for usewith the mobile transceiver 102. Suitable variations will be understoodto a person of skill in the art and are intended to fall within thescope of the present disclosure. For example, while individual networkshave been represented for convenience, it will be appreciated thatmultiple networks of each type and intermediate networks connected tothe shown networks may be provided. Also, the communication linksrepresented in FIG. 1 can be implemented using public and/or privatenetworks that can communicate using packet data technologies, such asX.25 or Internet Protocol (IP) based addressing and routing techniques.Some connections can be implemented as secure connections, for example,using Virtual Private Network (VPN) technologies.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a wireless communication subsystem 300 inaccordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure will bedescribed. The wireless communication subsystem 300 includes a digitalbaseband processor 304 which manages functions that require an antenna,and a plurality of wireless transceivers and/or receivers 306,represented individually by references 306 a, 306 b, . . . 306 n. Eachof the wireless transceivers/receivers 306 is coupled to a switch 308,represented individually by references 308 a, 308 b, . . . 308 n, whichis coupled to an internal antenna 310, represented individually byreferences 310 a, 310 b, . . . 310 n, and an external antenna 312,represented individually by references 312 a, 312 b, . . . 312 n. Theexternal antennas 312 typically serve as the primary antennas because ofthe reduced RF interference associated with being located outside of theshipping container 400, whereas the internal antennas 310 typicallyserve as secondary antennas because of the increased RF interferenceassociated with being located inside of the shipping container 400.

In at least some embodiments, the external antennas 312 are provided ina common external antenna module, and a ground pin of the externalantenna module is connected to a general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pinof the processor 104 which can be monitored, for example, when themobile transceiver 102 wakes up. When the ground pin of the externalantenna module is not detected, this is an indication that the externalantenna module is disconnected, an electronic malfunction has occurredin the external antenna module, or the external antenna 312 and/or theexternal housing module 504 has been otherwise damaged or tampered with.In other embodiments, a ground pin of each external antenna 312 may beindividually connected to a GPIO pin of the processor 104.

As noted above, the wireless transceivers/receivers 306 include at leastone cellular transceiver 114 such as a multi-band cellular transceiverthat supports multiple radio frequency bands which may include, forexample, multiple 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE Advanced bands aswell as global 3G and 2G bands and at least one satellite receiver 120.

While a common baseband processor 304 for the cellular transceiver 114and satellite receiver 120 has been described, in other embodiments aseparate baseband processor could be provided for the satellite receiver120 and the cellular transceiver 114. In the wireless communicationsubsystem 300, the cellular transceiver 114 and satellite receiver 120are individually switched and capable of operating independently.Consequently, the satellite receiver 120 can use an external antenna 312while the cellular transceiver 114 uses an internal antenna 310, or viceversa, the satellite receiver 120 and the cellular transceiver 114 canboth use an external antennas 312, or the satellite receiver 120 and thecellular transceiver 114 can both use an internal antennas 30. Thebaseband processor 304, or main processor 104, selects either theinternal antenna 310 or external antenna 312 for the satellite receiver120 and the cellular transceiver 114 depending on factors such as signalquality and ancillary information from the sensors 130. Each of thewireless transceivers/receivers 306 (e.g., the satellite receiver 120and the cellular transceiver 114) may also be separately powered-on,powered-off or placed into a sleep mode.

The terms “switch” and “switching” used in the described embodiments arenot intended to be restricted to changing the active antenna. Instead,the terms are intended to include instructing a respective switch 308 tomake a particular antenna the active antenna if the particular antennais not already the active antenna.

While not shown, each of the wireless transceivers/receivers 306 has anRF front end circuit (also known as a transceiver module/receivermodule) which generally includes all components between the antennas andthe digital baseband processor 304. For example, the RF front endcircuit of a cellular transceiver includes a receiver, a transmitter,and local oscillators (LOs). The receiver performs common receiverfunctions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering,channel selection, etc., as well as analog-to-digital conversion (ADC).The ADC of a received signal allows more complex communication functionssuch as demodulation and decoding to be performed by the digitalbaseband processor 304. In a similar manner, signals to be transmittedare processed, including modulation and encoding, for example, by thedigital baseband processor 304. The processed signals are input to thetransmitter for digital-to-analog conversion (DAC), frequency upconversion, filtering, amplification, and transmission via the antennas.A receiver, lacking transmitting functions, typically omits componentsrequired for receiving.

FIG. 4 shows an example flowchart of a method 400 of operating a mobiletransceiver 102 such as a GNSS tracking device in accordance with oneexample embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be carriedout by software executed by a processor of the mobile transceiver 102.Coding of software for carrying out such a method 400 is within thescope of a person of ordinary skill in the art provided the presentdisclosure. The method 400 may contain additional or fewer processesthan shown and/or described, and may be performed in a different orderin other embodiments. Machine readable code executable by the processorto perform the method 400 may be stored in a machine readable mediumsuch as a memory of the mobile transceiver 102.

At 402, the mobile transceiver 102 activates the one or more wirelesstransceivers from a low power mode. For example, the mobile transceiver102 may wake up the one or more wireless transceivers from a sleep mode.As noted above, the wireless transceivers comprise at least a cellulartransceiver 114 and possibly a WLAN transceiver 116 and/or a Bluetoothtransceiver. Optionally, the mobile transceiver 102 activates thesatellite receiver 120 from a low power mode. For example, the mobiletransceiver 102 may wake up the satellite receiver 120 from a sleepmode. The activating of the wireless transceivers and optionallysatellite receiver 120 may be caused by the expiry of a timer or othertrigger, depending on the embodiment. The activating of the wirelesstransceivers and optionally satellite receiver 120 may be performed bythe main processor 104 or the baseband processor 304, depending on theembodiment.

If the satellite receiver 120 is initiated from a low power mode, themobile transceiver 102 may determine, via the satellite receiver 120, alocation of the mobile transceiver 102, and store the determinedlocation and a time associated with the determined location in the datalog stored in the memory 112. If the sensors 130 are initiated from alow power mode, the sensors 130 may be used to sense, via one or more ofthe sensors 130, an environment of the mobile transceiver 102, andstoring the sensor data obtained via the sensors 130 and a time at whichthe sensor data was obtained in the data log stored in the memory 122.

At 404, the wireless transceivers search for the wireless servicessupported by the wireless transceivers. The wireless transceivers maysearch for an available wireless signal based on a stored table ofsupported wireless services, such as a profile efficiency table ordatabase described more fully below. For example, when the wirelesstransceivers comprise a multi-band cellular transceiver 114 supporting4G LTE, 3G and 2G is carried by the mobile transceiver 102, the cellulartransceiver 114 searches (e.g., scans) for 4G LTE, 3G and 2G cellulardata services. When the wireless transceivers further comprise a WLANtransceiver 116, and the WLAN transceiver 116 searches (e.g., scans) forWLAN data services. When the wireless transceivers further comprise aBluetooth transceiver 118, the Bluetooth transceiver 118 searches (e.g.,scans) for Bluetooth data services.

At 406, the mobile transceiver 102 determines the number of wirelessservices that are available in accordance with responses received fromavailable wireless services. When multiple wireless services areavailable, processing proceeds to 408 at which the mobile transceiver102 determines whether the mobile transceiver 102 is battery powered.Being battery powered may include a variety of battery powered modes, orbattery power mode types. One example is a long-term battery poweredmode which may be used when the mobile transceiver 102 is being usedin-service and maintenance is not expected for a significant time (e.g.,years). Alternative battery powered modes include an initialconfiguration mode, such as may be used when the mobile transceiver 102is first installed and battery power may be for a short time be less ofa consideration to enable configuration. Another alternative batterypowered modes may be enabled based on shipping methods, location, andother factors (e.g., transmit when at a known-good communicationlocation, communication is not optimal so try all availablecommunication channels, diagnostic mode, or a high priority functionalprofile is active). The battery power mode types may interplay with thedesired functionality of the device such as to optimize power savings,or to urgently communicate when a destination or waypoint is reached, orto communicate problems or when updates are needed.

The method of determining whether the mobile transceiver 102 is batterypowered can be based on device information, detection of the battery 146and/or optional power source 152 or a combination thereof, depending onthe embodiment. For example, the mobile transceiver 102 may considerdevice information stored in memory, such as ROM 110 or memory 112, todetermine whether the device is equipped with a non-rechargeable orrechargeable battery or whether the mobile transceiver 102 includes apower interface 150 for connecting to an external power source 152. Thedevice information may relate to the mobile transceiver 102 generally,such as a device model number or device serial number, batteryinformation such as battery model number or battery serial number, orother information about the power system. When no power interface 150 isprovided, the mobile transceiver 102 is always battery powered. However,if a power interface 150 is provided, the mobile transceiver 102 may notbe on battery powered regardless of the battery type.

When more than one wireless service is available and the mobiletransceiver 102 is battery powered, the processing proceeds to 410 atwhich the mobile transceiver 102 selects and accesses, or connects to, amost power efficient wireless service in accordance with a basic powerprofile of the available wireless services stored in memory, such as thememory 112. The basic power profile information may be stored in thepower profile efficiency table, an example of which is shown below.

TABLE 1 Power Profile Efficiency Table Wireless Service Power EfficiencyIndicator 4G LTE Medium 2G/3G High Wi-Fi Low Bluetooth Low

The power profile efficiency table includes the basic power profile foreach wireless service supported by the mobile transceiver 102. The basicpower profile includes a power efficiency indicator for each wirelessservice supported by the mobile transceiver. In the shown example, thepower efficiency indicator is a qualitative indicator in the form of a“Low”, “Medium” or “High” rating. However, other qualitative indicatorscould be used in other embodiments, such as a numerical rating from 1 to10, to provide increased precision. Alternatively, a quantitativeindicator could be used in other embodiments. The profile efficiencytable could be updated to reflect the wireless service availability insome embodiments, an example of which is shown below.

TABLE 2 Power Profile Efficiency and Wireless Service Availability TablePower Profile Wireless Service Wireless Service Efficiency Availability4G LTE Medium Yes 2G/3G High No Wi-Fi Low Yes Bluetooth Low No

When more than one wireless service is available and the mobiletransceiver 102 is battery powered, the processing proceeds to 412 atwhich the mobile transceiver 102 generates an extended power profile foreach of the available wireless services. Each extended power profileincludes a number of parameters including the power efficiencyindicator, a signal strength indicator, power output, and radiofrequency bands for the wireless service. The signal strength indicatormay be received signal strength indicator (RSSI), the power output maybe indicated in mW or dBm, and the frequency bands may be indicated bycommon name, number or frequency band (MHz), among other possibilities.The reporting data to be provided to the asset tracking service 200 istypically small in size so 2G, 3G is more than sufficient for reportingpurposes. While Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are also sufficient in terms of dataspeeds and bandwidth, these wireless services are typically less powerefficient.

At 414, the mobile transceiver 102 selects and accesses, or connects to,a wireless service from the available wireless services based on theextended power profile of the available wireless services. In someembodiments, each of the parameters is assigned a priority and thewireless service is selected from the available wireless services inaccordance with the priority assigned to each parameter in the extendedpower profile and a multi-factor selection algorithm. In otherembodiments, the wireless service is selected from the availablewireless services in accordance with a particular parameter in theextended power profile, for example, to select the available wirelessservice having the optimal value (e.g., highest or lowest, depending onthe parameter) for the particular parameter in the extended powerprofile. The particular parameter in the extended power profile used forselecting the wireless service may be specified by the asset trackingservice 200. The asset tracking service 200 may specify the parameter tobe used in a message sent to and received by the asset tracking service200. The particular parameter in the extended power profile to be usedduring selection may be retrieved from the message received by the assettracking service 200 and stored in local memory, such as the memory 112,for use in the method 400.

Returning to 406, when one wireless service is available, processingproceeds to 416 at which the mobile transceiver 102 selects andaccesses, or connects to, the available wireless service by default.

At 430, when no wireless service is available, the mobile transceiver102 performs data logging via the satellite receiver 120 until a nextattempt to access wireless services, i.e., the next reporting cycle. Insome embodiments, the data logging comprises determining, via thesatellite receiver 120, a location of the mobile transceiver 102, andstoring the determined location and a time associated with thedetermined location in the data log stored in the memory 112. The datalogging may further comprise sensing, via one or more of the sensors130, an environment of the mobile transceiver 102, and storing thesensor data obtained via the sensors 130 and a time at which the sensordata was obtained in the data log stored in the memory 122.

The lack of wireless service availability when the mobile transceiver102 is in a location in which wireless services should be available maybe an indicator of a wireless transceiver malfunction. In someembodiments, the mobile transceiver 102 may perform data logging via thesatellite receiver 120 when wireless transceiver malfunction issuspected when an indicator of wireless transceiver malfunction ispresent, for example, when no wireless service is available when themobile transceiver 102 is in a location in which wireless servicesshould be available.

At 440, after performing data logging and/or reporting logged data, alow power mode may be initiated for the wireless transceivers and/orsatellite receiver until the next reporting and/or logging cycle.

The above-described method provides power efficient global andlong-range tracking method that reduces power consumption and extendsthe expected life of the battery of the mobile transceiver. Inaccordance with the described embodiments, the mobile transceiversearches for wireless services. When more than one wireless service isavailable and the mobile transceiver is battery powered, the most powerefficient wireless service is selected in accordance with a basic powerprofile of the available wireless services. When one wireless service isavailable, the available wireless service is selected. When more thanone wireless service is available and the mobile transceiver is notbattery powered, a wireless service is selected based on the extendedpower profile of the available wireless services. The above-describedmethod of operating a mobile transceiver is particularly advantageouswhen the mobile transceiver is provided with a non-rechargeable battery.The above-described method of operating a mobile transceiver is alsoparticularly advantageous when a period of time has elapsed since themobile transceiver determined its location using the satellite receiver,for example, when the mobile transceiver wakes up after a period ofinactivity in which at least the satellite receiver and wirelesstransceiver were in a low power mode.

The steps and/or operations in the flowcharts and drawings describedherein are for purposes of example only. There may be many variations tothese steps and/or operations without departing from the teachings ofthe present disclosure. For instance, the steps may be performed in adiffering order, or steps may be added, deleted, or modified.

While the present disclosure is described, at least in part, in terms ofmethods, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that thepresent disclosure is also directed to the various components forperforming at least some of the aspects and features of the describedmethods, be it by way of hardware components, software or anycombination of the two, or in any other manner. Moreover, the presentdisclosure is also directed to a pre-recorded storage device or othersimilar machine readable medium including program instructions storedthereon for performing the methods described herein.

The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the subject matter of the claims. The described exampleembodiments are to be considered in all respects as being onlyillustrative and not restrictive. The present disclosure intends tocover and embrace all suitable changes in technology. The scope of thepresent disclosure is, therefore, described by the appended claimsrather than by the foregoing description. The scope of the claims shouldnot be limited by the embodiments set forth in the examples, but shouldbe given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description asa whole.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a mobile transceiver,the mobile transceiver comprising a processor, a memory, a satellitereceiver, and at least one wireless transceiver, the method comprising:activating the wireless transceiver from a low power mode; searching,via the wireless transceiver, for wireless services for connection to awireless network supported by the wireless transceiver; in response to adetermination that more than one wireless service is available:determining whether the mobile transceiver is in a battery powered mode;in response to a determination that the mobile transceiver is in thebattery powered mode, selecting a most power efficient wireless servicefrom the more than one available wireless service in accordance with abasic power profile of the available wireless service stored in thememory, wherein the basic power profile includes a power efficiencyrating indicator of a wireless access technology of each of theavailable wireless services supported by the mobile transceiver; inresponse to a determination that only one wireless service is available,selecting the available wireless service; and sending data to an assettracking service using the selected wireless service.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: in response to a determination that morethan one wireless service is available and the mobile transceiver is notin the battery powered mode, generating an extended power profile foreach of the available wireless services, each extended power profileincluding a number of parameters including the power efficiency ratingindicator, a signal strength indicator, power output, and radiofrequency bands for the wireless service, and selecting a wirelessservice based on the extended power profile of the available wirelessservices.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the parameters isassigned a priority and the wireless service is selected from theavailable wireless services in accordance with the priority assigned toeach parameter in the extended power profile and a selection algorithm.4. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless service is selected fromthe available wireless services in accordance with a particularparameter in the extended power profile to select the available wirelessservice having an optimal value for the particular parameter in theextended power profile.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: inresponse to a determination that no wireless service is available,performing data logging via the satellite receiver.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein performing data logging comprises: determining, via thesatellite receiver, a location of the mobile transceiver; and storingthe location and a time associated with the location in the data logstored in the memory.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein performing datalogging further comprises: sensing, via one or more sensors, anenvironment of the mobile transceiver; and storing sensor data obtainedvia the sensors and a time at which the sensor data was obtained in thedata log stored in the memory.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: initiating a low power mode for the wireless transceiverand/or satellite receiver.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein thewireless access technology of the wireless services supported by thewireless transceiver comprises 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE), 3G and 2Gcellular data services.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobiletransceiver comprises a plurality of wireless transceivers comprises acellular transceiver and a wireless local area network (WLAN)transceiver, and the wireless access technology of the wireless servicessupported by the wireless transceiver comprises 4G LTE cellular dataservices, 3G cellular data services, 2G cellular data services, and WLANdata services.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the wirelesstransceivers further comprise a Bluetooth transceiver, and the wirelessaccess technology of the wireless services supported by the wirelesstransceiver further comprise Bluetooth data services.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: in response to a determination that themobile transceiver is in the battery powered mode, determining thebattery power mode type.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:in response to a determination that an indicator of wireless transceivermalfunction is present, performing data logging via the satellitereceiver.
 14. A mobile transceiver, comprising: a processor; a memorycoupled to the processor; a satellite receiver coupled to the processor;and a wireless transceiver coupled to the processor; wherein the mobiletransceiver is configured for: activating the wireless transceiver froma low power mode; searching, via the wireless transceiver, for wirelessservices for connection to a wireless network supported by the wirelesstransceiver; in response to a determination that more than one wirelessservice is available: determining whether the mobile transceiver is in abattery powered mode; in response to a determination that the mobiletransceiver is in the battery powered mode selecting a most powerefficient wireless service from the more than one available wirelessservices in accordance with a basic power profile of the availablewireless service stored in the memory, wherein the basic power profileincludes a power efficiency rating indicator of a wireless accesstechnology of each of the available wireless services supported by themobile transceiver; in response to a determination that only onewireless service is available, selecting the available wireless service;and sending data to an asset tracking service using the selectedwireless service.
 15. The mobile transceiver of claim 14, wherein themobile transceiver is further configured for: in response to adetermination that more than one wireless service is available and themobile transceiver is not battery powered, generating an extended powerprofile for each of the available wireless services, each extended powerprofile including at least the power efficiency rating indicator, asignal strength indicator, power output, and radio frequency bands forthe wireless service, and selecting a wireless service based on theextended power profile of the available wireless services.
 16. Themobile transceiver of claim 14, wherein the mobile transceiver isfurther configured for: in response to a determination that no wirelessservice is available, performing data logging via the satellitereceiver.
 17. The mobile transceiver of claim 14, wherein the mobiletransceiver is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) trackingdevice.
 18. A non-transitory machine readable medium having tangiblystored thereon executable instructions that, in response to execution bya processor of a mobile transceiver, the mobile transceiver comprising aprocessor, a memory, a satellite receiver, and at least one wirelesstransceiver, cause the mobile transceiver to: activate the wirelesstransceiver from a low power mode; search, via the wireless transceiver,for wireless services for connection to a wireless network supported bythe wireless transceiver; in response to a determination that more thanone wireless service is available: determine whether the mobiletransceiver is in a battery powered mode; in response to a determinationthat the mobile transceiver is in the battery powered mode, select amost power efficient wireless service from the more than one availablewireless services in accordance with a basic power profile of theavailable wireless services stored in the memory, wherein the basicpower profile includes a power efficiency rating indicator of a wirelessaccess technology of each of the available wireless services supportedby the mobile transceiver; in response to a determination that only onewireless service is available, select the available wireless service;and send data to an asset tracking service using the selected wirelessservice.